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Research article2023Peer reviewedOpen access

Intra-household risk perceptions and climate change adaptation in sub-Saharan Africa

Ginbo, Tsegaye; Hansson, Helena

Abstract

We examine the effects of spouses' climate risk perceptions (CRPs), defined by their beliefs about unfavourable climatic events and associated damages, on climate change adaptation (CCA) and the observed gender gap in adaptation. Our analysis uses the intra-household data collected by independent interviews with 1,274 female and male spouses in Kenya, Uganda and Senegal. By addressing the CRP endogeneity issue using the exogenous weather shocks during data collection months as instruments, we find that a higher CRP of both female and male spouses increases their probability of adopting CCA strategies. We also find that a higher CRP of female spouses reduces the adaptation gap by increasing their relative adoption of soil and water conservation practices. Our results highlight the importance of understanding gender-differentiated behavioural and economic factors to design effective climate policy interventions.

Keywords

risk perceptions; climate change adaptation; gender gap; climate-smart agriculture

Published in

European Review of Agricultural Economics
2023, volume: 50, number: 3, pages: 1039–1063
Publisher: OXFORD UNIV PRESS

SLU Authors

Global goals (SDG)

SDG5 Gender equality
SDG13 Climate action

UKÄ Subject classification

Economics
Environmental Sciences related to Agriculture and Land-use

Publication identifier

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/erae/jbad011

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/122270